Friday, December 20, 2013

Meet Grace Anderson from Cheryl Harper's SANTA, BRING BY BABY BACK

Santa, Bring My Baby Back (Rock'n'Rolla Hotel Series, #3)

by Cheryl Harper

Published by Avon Impulse

Released ~ December 17, 2013

After trying her hand at acting, modeling, dog grooming, and a dozen other odd-jobs, fortune hunter Grace Andersen thought for sure she’d nab a rich man. But dumped in a Memphis hotel chapel and strapped for cash? Grace needs a Christmas miracle—and a job—fast!

In walks Grace’s real-life hero to save the day: straight-laced Charlie McMinn, the hotel chapel’s Elvis-impersonating officiant who, as of late, has had a hard time of getting into the holiday spirit. For him, Grace is a breath of fresh air. And when she asks for his help, Charlie decides to stick around his mother’s hotel a little bit longer…especially if it means helping Grace get settled.

With a rocky start to their relationship, Grace isn’t too sure what to think of sexy, resilient Charlie, except that she can’t deny the attraction between them, or how good it feels to finally fit in somewhere. As a can-do gal with a strong personality, she’ll have to choose whether she’s ready to give Memphis a chance—and if she’ll surrender to a love that tugs at the heartstrings. SANTA, BRING MY BABY BACK is a feel-good story filled with Harper’s trademark ingredients: humor, passion, charm and quick wit—with a dash of The King, of course!

Meet Grace Andersen, heroine of Santa, Bring My Baby Back

In Santa, Bring My Baby Back, free-spirited Grace Andersen has always trusted her journey and lived one day at a time. Maybe she never expected it to strand her in Memphis with maxed out credit cards, no job, and no wealthy husband, but she’s picked herself up more than once. Faced with a decision to go back to her old life in Las Vegas or to try rolling to a stop at the Rock’n’Rolla Hotel, Grace chooses not to look back. She doesn’t really understand suspicious Charlie McMinn, but Andersens don’t take charity. They don’t steal. And she’s never met a job she couldn’t do…at least, for a little while. At the hotel, she finds the family she’s been looking for, a job tailor-made for her, and Charlie, the kind of man who makes her want to plan for tomorrow.

“Well, Gracie, here you are again.” Grace said the words out loud, but in her mind, she could hear her mother’s dry, pragmatic tone. She clutched the front of her dress and actually appreciated how the matter-of-factness snapped her back to reality. There for a minute with Charlie, she’d started to feel like she’d stepped out of this world and into a place where only the two of them existed. When her eyes met his in the mirror, everything else had faded in the face of an instant connection, one she’d never had with Tommy Joe Huffle.For just a second, she’d had a flash of what a wedding day with a man who hooked her that easily might be like. A nice fantasy, but not very helpful for a woman stranded in a strange city with maxed-out credit cards.Maybe she hadn’t found her lucky break yet, even after years of auditions and chasing the next big idea. That didn’t mean she wasn’t a great actress. She was sure she’d convinced Charlie she knew exactly what to do next. But she had no idea.She also wasn’t sure why it had seemed important to convince him that everything was under control. Maybe that was just another thing she’d gotten really good at pretending.She stared hard at her reflection and did her best to ignore the fine lines around her eyes. At least she could keep the gray at bay. Thank God for beauty in a box. As she tossed her inexpensive makeup and brushes, her hair spray, and everything she’d brought to transform herself into a princess for a day into the bright pink case she carried most places, she tried to tell herself this was just the latest adventure. Maybe being stranded in Memphis would turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to her.Grace never lost faith that she was right where she needed to be. No matter how many times she had to make a new plan, she always believed in herself.

Whether she’s writing, reading, or just checking the items off of her daily to-do list, small-town girl CHERYL HARPER loves her romance mixed with a little laughter. When she’s not working, you will find her ignoring housework, cursing yard work, and spending way too much time with a television remote in her hand.